


Auros: Restless City

by Girlinatophat



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Crime Scenes, Crimes & Criminals, Detectives, Gen, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Male Character(s) - Freeform, Original Non-Binary Character(s) - Freeform, Original Trans Character(s) - Freeform, Original Universe, we really just vibe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:13:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24681370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlinatophat/pseuds/Girlinatophat
Summary: The Auros Police Department, or APD for short, create a specialised crime unit called LINK. Led by DI Noah Kress, with DS Mika Kina and DS Syrena Luoma joining him, the team tackle various crimes in the city. With a variety of technology at their disposal, and some shady sources, they find themselves in the middle of a city-wide conspiracy. Will they be able to protect the citizens of Auros and put a stop to it, once and for all? Only time will tell.





	1. A Rude Awakening

It was raining. Of course it was - why wouldn't it be? DI Noah Kress was, surprisingly, the last detective on the scene. He had overslept that morning and woken up to an angry voicemail from his boss. Something about how a DI of the APD should be on time to his crime scenes.

Auros hadn't had a murder two days. Granted, that was the last death to be labelled as such. Noah knew of a certain gangster that would've liked to disrupt that streak. However, this wasn't her doing. She certainly knew how to dispose of a body.

Noah lifted up the police tape at the multi-storey car park and began to climb up the stairs. There should be a lift, he thought. Why can't I use the lift? What sort of multi-storey car park doesn't have a lift? The actual crime scene was right at the very top. A small crowd started to gather at the bottom. The press had caught on.

There was a tent around the body, protecting it from the rain. DS Syrena Luoma was standing outside, surveying the rest of the rooftop. She was tapping her foot when she saw Noah approaching.

"Finally woke up, huh?" Syrena mumbled from behind her mask, "Mika is inside with the coroner. They're getting ready to take away the body for an autopsy. You came just in time.”

"What do we know so far?" Noah asked his colleague, surveying the crime scene. For a murder, it was rather clean. There wasn't a speck of blood anywhere outside the tent (he hoped that it hadn't been washed away by the rain). 

"The victim had a previous criminal record," Syrena began, bringing up her tablet. "We found a fingerprint match almost instantly. One Paris Edwards. She was caught shoplifting and was given a caution - but she might've tried the same thing before, and gotten away with it. We have no way of knowing."

Noah nodded absentmindedly and went inside the tent. He was expecting the stench of blood - but once again, he struggled to see any. The victim was taped onto the side of the wall. A large stab wound was present on her chest. There was specks of blood on her clothes, but that was about it.

DS Mika Kina and Terra Aviana, the coroner, were standing around the body. They both sighed in relief as they saw Noah enter the tent.

"We were about to take down the body without you," Terra scoffed, gesturing towards the tape. "Honestly, the lead investigator doesn't show up... I have an autopsy to do. You’re wasting my time, here.”

"Mm, we think that the stab wound here was the cause of death," Mika grinned towards Noah rather excitedly. He originally wanted to be a nurse, so anything to do with bodies tended to make him a bit happier about his current job. "Terra will have to examine the body closer, later... but it must've been moved here, right?"

"That would certainly seem to be the case," Noah agreed, "The lack of blood here is alarming, even if it is raining. Why would you want to move the body somewhere so out in the open? I'm surprised nobody saw the culprit set this up."

"It was reported to us in the early hours of the morning," Mika told him, "Perhaps our culprit wanted the body to be discovered..."

"You lot best be getting out of here, then," Terra glanced towards the two detectives. "I want to get this autopsy started. If we find any more evidence, I'll send a report over. As I always do.”

Syrena stuck her head in the tent and waved. "Right. Time to break it to the family, huh?" She mumbled, "I always hate this part... come on, you two. Let's go find out more about our victim."

——

The victim's mother lived in Splough, an area of Auros known for its many run-down buildings. The cheapest properties were found here. That, and some old, abandoned factories.

Mika knocked on the door and waited for a response. They were getting a few dirty looks, with their appearances looking rather out of place. At least they didn't have a brightly coloured police car with them... right?

Eventually, the door opened. Ms. Edwards was standing behind it. "What do you want?" She grunted. Her breath stunk of smoke. 

"Ms. Edwards?" Syrena stepped forwards. "We're here regarding your daughter. Can we talk to you inside for a bit?"

Ms. Edwards nodded and let the three detectives inside. "What's she done this time?" She groaned as she sat down on one of the chairs in the living room.

"We've got some very sad news," Syrena began, "Ms. Edwards... I'm afraid your daughter was found dead this morning."

Mika tensed up. He couldn't look the woman in the eye. Instead, he glanced out of the window as Ms. Edwards came to terms with the news. 

"We know this can be hard for you," continued Syrena, "But any information regarding your daughter would be very helpful to us. When did you last hear from her?"

"Y-Yesterday evening," Ms. Edwards replied as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "She was going to a nightclub... I told her to call or text me when she got there, but I never heard from her. I just assumed she was drunk..."

"Did you notice any suspicious behaviour from her lately?" Noah continued the questioning. He could tell that Mika was uncomfortable, just by sitting there.

"No... she was fine. Just living her normal life," she sniffled, "I know she wasn't a morally good person, but... she really didn't deserve this...!"

Syrena wrote down a contact number and left it on a nearby table. "We may call you later... but if you remember anything useful to us, don't hesitate to call," she told her, "We'll let you deal with the news in your own time... I'm sorry."

The three detectives got up and left the house. Once they were in the safety of their car, they got talking. Nobody could hear them here.

"So, what do we think?" Mika asked the group, "Perhaps Terra would've found something by now... they were always quick with these things. We don't even have a weapon. It's like they knew how to clean up a crime scene!"

"Well... it can't be that hard," Noah commented, "The rain must've done most of the job. Besides, we just found where the body was. Not where the victim was killed. Of course it'll be cleaner than your average crime scene."

"Let's head back for now," Syrena decided, turning on the engine. "It's not like the others had much to do... and by the time we get back, they might've found something out."

Noah looked out of the window as the rain finally began to subside. "If we don't find any more leads... I think I have an idea," he grinned, "I'll go on my own. You two will have to stay behind."

"Huh? That's no fair!" Mika complained, "I wanna come too, Noah! You're the senior here... shouldn't you be teaching us things?"

He didn't bother to respond to that. They didn't need to know about her.

——

Mika excitedly ran into Terra's self-proclaimed hideout, also known as the coroner's office. The body was covered by a sheet (thankfully). Terra was sitting at their desk nearby.

"We've come for an update!" Mika called out to them, "What else can you tell us, Terra? Anything lead-worthy?”

Terra rolled their eyes and walked over to the body. "Alright, I hope you weren't expecting to get some lunch after this," she advised as she uncovered part of the sheet. "Cause of death was definitely due to the stab wound, here. She was killed early in the morning. Probably moved shortly after. The knife is what intrigues me, though... it looks like it had multiple blades."

"Multiple... blades?" Syrena repeated, "Ah. So, not a normal knife, then. I don't know if that makes our job easier or harder.”

"I've got Gab working on a mock-up," Terra explained, "You can talk to her later. It's your job to track it down, not mine."

"Right, right," Noah grumbled. Terra's attitude at times was... annoying. "Is that it? A stab wound and a weird knife?"

Terra shook their head and uncovered a section on the lower half of the victim's body. On the left side was a burn in the shape of the ace of spades. "Pretty weird stuff," Terra shrugged. "It's specifically above the area where the adrenal gland or kidney is... perhaps it's a calling card of sorts."

"I've never seen anything like that before," mumbled Mika, "Perhaps we should ask around. It's such an odd detail..."

"Let's talk to Gab about that knife," Syrena suggested, "If it's unique, it could've been shipped in. Or maybe it was from an antique shop. They do weird knives, right?”

The three detectives headed back to the main area of the precinct. Gab, also known as Gabriella Rolsten, had a desk to herself in the corner. Away from people. She was happily tapping away at her computer when the three of them approached her. 

"What's this about a knife, Gab?" Mika chirped as he glanced at her computer. "You look like you're having fun. Tapping away on that big screen.”

Gab turned to them and scoffed. “You don’t even know what I’m doing,” she said as she presented a picture of a complicated knife to them. It had three blades, each pointing in a different direction. “This is what we think the knife looks like... thanks to my amazing skills - and Terra’s help.”

“Any idea where it could’ve come from?” Syrena asked her, studying the knife closely. “I can’t say I recognise it... and I doubt anyone else here does.”

“You can’t exactly put ‘knife with three blades’ and get a result like this,” Gab politely informed them, “It’ll take time to track such an object down. I’m currently looking at knives that were imported into Auros... I want to have a result by tomorrow, but this is proving to be difficult.”

“We’ll keep an eye out, too,” Noah patted Gab’s head (much to the other’s annoyance). “Can you print off a picture for us? I have someone that might be able to help... we can put out a search, too, if we get that desperate.”

“Okay, who is this person that you keep going on about, Noah?” Mika huffed in annoyance, “We’re supposed to be working as a team. It’s no use keeping secrets from us. We’ll find out eventually.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “Because I want you to keep out of it. You’re far too young to be involved in this sort of stuff,” he lectured them, “Don’t ask any more questions, alright? Leave it alone.”

“Ooh, the old man has a secret!” Gab teased, despite knowing that Noah was in his late twenties. “Is that why your ‘solved’ rate is higher than others, hmm?”

“I-It’s just dangerous, that’s all,” Noah attempted to shrug off the conversation. “Plus, the chief would kill me if she found out about my source. They’re anonymous for a reason.”

“Then one of us should go with you,” Syrena insisted, “What if we need your source, hmm? It’s no fair, you keeping all of the best sources to yourself. What if something was to happen to you? Where would we go, then?”

“Fine, fine!” Noah sighed, eventually giving in. “Mika, you can come with. But only so you lot will get off my back. And don’t you dare tell-”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t tell anyone,” Mika grinned in excitement. “I can’t believe you chose me... well... Gab probably wasn’t included, because she’s not a detective, but still. It’s nice to feel needed.”

“Tell the chief we’ll be back soon,” Noah instructed to Syrena before pulling Mika aside. “Come on. We’re heading to False Alibi. To Gloria Hawthorne, the gangster unofficially ruling over the Miagami district.”


	2. False Alibi

Noah and Mika stood outside Gloria's club. False Alibi. The Miagami region of Auros was controlled by her. Most crime went through, or was caused by her. If Noah was to take her down, someone more unstable would rise up and take her place. They had tried said approach before in other regions, to have that be the result.

"Looks... like we're underdressed," Mika frowned, gazing at the club. "Won't people know that we're... you know? Not customers? Definitely part of the police?”

"Relax," Noah told him, "I'm sort of a regular here. I get a discount - uh, don't tell anyone. I'll get into more trouble than I'm already in. Trying to stay out of trouble is already hard enough for me.”

Mike nodded slowly and followed Noah inside. The place wasn't officially open yet - it was barely midday, after all. The staff inside were still cleaning up from the night before. They all ignored Noah as he headed straight for the centre table.

Sitting at the centre table was a woman - Mika assumed that this was Gloria. She had dark hair and silver highlights, something that Mika would not have expected of someone of such high importance. Then again, he was a detective wearing an outfit more suited to someone in the medicinal industry.

Noah smiled and sat down opposite her. "Hey," he greeted, "This is Mika. He's on the same case as me. Don't worry - he's with the program. I promise he won’t tattle on you.”

Gloria eyed up Mika and grinned. "I know," she said simply, "There's not a single cop in this city that I don't know about, remember? Plus... I believe my chef is family. Your cousin, Adrian?"

"Oh!" Mika gasped. "This is the place he works at? He never told me-! I never would've expected him to work at a place like this... Ah, Noah, I know this is important, but-"

"Sure, sure," Noah shrugged. He could do this on his own, anyway. "Go talk to your... cousin, or whatever. I don't care. I can do the talking on my own.”

Now that Mika was out of sight, Gloria focused her attention back to Noah. "Do I get to have a favour?" She chuckled. "Tell me. What information do you require this time?"

"This morning. A murder occurred in your area," Noah told her, "The victim was Paris Edwards... know anything about it? The victim, even?”

Gloria thought for a moment before opening a book in front of her. The APD would kill for that book. "Edwards, Edwards, Edwards," she repeated, "Hm. Nothing in here. The name doesn't ring a bell. Oh, I do hate it when they don't run things by me..."

"So, this wasn't your doing... intentionally," he huffed, "Nice to know. Is it possible that any of the other gang leaders could've left the body on your territory?"

"Not if they want to start a war," Gloria replied, "They know better than to do that, dear. For all I know, it could've been a random citizen... this doesn't look like it was caused by us."

Noah's phone beeped. He had received a message from Gabriella. Attached was a mock-up of the blade used to stab the victim. Out of questions, he showed the image to Gloria. "Recognise this?" He asked her, "It might've been smuggled in or something. Looks unique."

"It looks... familiar," Gloria pondered, peering at the knife. "I've definitely seen it before. I'm afraid I can't say how I know it, though..."

"Ah, well. Worth a try," Noah shrugged. "Thanks for all of your help... I'll, uh, collect my partner from your kitchen now."

——

Mika peeked his head around the door to the kitchen. He recognised Adrian instantly - he always wore the same custom-made apron, dotted with hearts. 

Adrian noticed Mika and put down a tray of cookies. He approached Mika, a big grin on his face. "I didn't think I'd see you here!" He chirped, "Are you here because of work?"

"That's right," Mika nodded. "We just have to ask the owner some questions. But... why didn't you tell me you worked in a place like this? Does your brother know?"

"Um... it's a good job. It pays better than other baking jobs," Adrian replied, "That way, I can afford to look after my brother. Plus, Miss Gloria likes me a lot, so..."

"You mean she likes your cooking," Mika smirked. He did have a knack for sweet treats.

"That, too," he noted, "She's really nice, you know. So, um... please don't arrest her. She's not as mean as some of the other gang owners. The fact that you're even allowed in here must mean something, right?"

"Probably because she knows we can't just arrest her in her place," shrugged Mika. "There's guards everywhere. I'd be putting you out of a job, too. I know you've struggled so much already... if you ever need any money-"

Adrian stopped him. "No. Please don't... we're fine, okay? We don't need your financial support anymore," he insisted, "You should come visit some time, though. Jack has been asking about you."

"Is he doing well in school?" Mika asked him. "I know he had a few troubles with bullies... um. About his uniform-"

"It's all fine now," said Adrian, brushing him off. "His grades are okay. I was never that intelligent, so he's doing better than me... as long as he can watch TV, he's happy."

"I will visit soon," Mika told him, "I will. When work is... less busy. Sometimes I wonder if I would have more free time if I was able to become a nurse... oh, well..."

It was at this point that Noah approached the two. "Hey," he said simply. "Ready to go, Mika? Gab might've found something else... I hope.”

Mika waved goodbye to Adrian. "See you soon... don't get into too much trouble, okay? No more than me, at least!" He chuckled. 

Adrian bid the two farewell as they headed back to the station. Hopefully they would be able to take a break soon. Noah was getting hungry. Plus, he wanted to try out a new pie shop nearby. 

——

Syrena greeted the two as they arrived back. "Gab checked the security tapes nearby," she told them, "She's chasing up all of the cars that entered the parking lot. They must've hidden the body in a car or something, right?"

"Sounds good," Noah agreed, "My source couldn’t tell me much. It wasn’t gang related, apparently. But she did seem to recognise the blade...”

“Yeah, a few people have been saying that, too,” Syrena frowned. “Maybe it was in a newspaper or something? Or a TV show...?”

“We’ll get a few posters sent around or something,” Mika suggested, “There must be someone that knows where they recognise it from, right? It’s ridiculous that it’s a unique knife, and no one can tell us anything about where it might’ve come from.”

“It does seem that those... Ah, ‘old people’, as Gab would say, recognise it,” noted Noah, “Perhaps it’s something from their childhood? Or... you know what they mean.”

“You know she’s only joking, right?” Syrena chuckled. “She’s still a kid. She just wants to get under your skin. If you let it get to you, she’ll just keep doing it... trust me. I know how her mind works.”

Noah received another message on his phone. It was from Gab, again. _‘stop talkin about me old man’_ It said.

“She’s listening to our conversation. Great,” Noah sighed. He couldn’t catch a break. “I’m going to look over the paperwork. And catch some lunch. God, I’m starving. If I don’t eat soon, I might die.”

“That’s what Adrian’s cooking does to you!” Mike grinned. “I’ll go talk to Terra. Maybe they’ve found something... plus, I’m curious about that weird mark. It’s such a specific place to put a card.”

“We both know that you just want to learn some things, Mika,” Syrena giggled. “Well... I’ll head over to the Chief. Give her an update. Maybe she knows something about the knife. She would’ve overseen a lot of things in her lifetime... I-I’m not calling her old or anything-!”

“Seems like a good idea,” Noah smiled at her. “We’ll get a suspect at some point... maybe those witness statements can help us more than they have already... I know I looked over them this morning, but I want to do so again. Just in case.”

Syrena climbed up the stairs to the Chief’s office. Chief Eleonora Suzuki was known throughout the city for throwing out corrupt officers on her first day, despite the many death threats. It was a miracle she was still alive today. 

“Chief!” She chirped as she entered the room. “Here to bring you an update about the Edwards case. I was worried that you wouldn’t get my email-“

“I got it,” Chief Suzuki told her, “Come, sit down. I noticed that Detectives Kina and Kress returned. What did they find out?”

“Um... not much,” Syrena replied, sitting down. “They said that it definitely wasn’t a gang thing. Oh, and he said that it was odd that loads of people recognise the knife...”

Chief Suzuki scrolled through her emails to find one from Gab. “Yes, I just got sent a picture myself,” she told her, “It’s a shame we don’t know anything about the hilt. Knives such as this usually have a special inscription on them... it would’ve helped to track it down.”

“But still... three blades?” Syrena huffed, “It’s not very practical. Don’t tell me you recognise it, too... you would think that someone would be able to pinpoint where it’s come from!”

“I’ve definitely seen a similar blade before,” she confirmed, “But I still can’t tell that it’s the same one. Three blades is unusual, yes, I agree. I have a... hunch... that it might’ve been mentioned in an old case. Of course, I’m one of the only people that can access those files, so I’ve been going through them... and they’re all paper copies. We still haven’t uploaded them onto the network as of yet.”

“If it was in an old case file, it would explain why Gab is unable to track it down using her computer,” Syrena noted, “It wouldn’t show up on the system. Uh, how far are we with that, anyway?”

“I have two desk workers working on it. Progress is... slow, as you can imagine,” Chief Suzuki chuckled. “It’s necessary, especially in cases like this. You should check with the docks, though, to see if it was imported... or smuggled in.”

“It’ll be hard to check if it was smuggled,” Syrena whined, “But... okay. Just keep me updated on your search. I’ll try to bust as many smugglers as I can at the same time!”

Their meeting was interrupted as Mika burst into the room. “Chief! There... there was another... another...” he struggled to get his words out.

“Calm down, Mika,” Chief Suzuki told him, “There was another... what? What is it?”

“Another... murder,” Mika gulped, “With that knife. The three blades one. They were posed on another rooftop... exactly the same way. Terra thinks that they’ll have the same mark, too.”

“If it was with three blades, then it can’t have been a copycat, right?” Syrena wondered, “We never released the info about the mark to the press. If the victim really does have the same one, then...”

“Get over there immediately,” Chief Suzuki ordered, “If we have a serial killer on our hands... I want them apprehended. We can’t have someone like this running around on our streets. Especially if they attempt such a thing in broad daylight.”

“”Yes, Chief!” Mika grabbed Syrena’s hand and pulled her off of her chair. “Let’s go get Noah. Terra said they’ll meet us there... let’s hope that there’s more evidence this time. We might have a suspect, if that’s the case.”

“Yes, let’s,” Syrena mumbled as Mika pulled her out of the Chief’s office before she could say goodbye. He really was in a rush.


	3. Bout Time

Terra was waiting for them outside the forensics tent when they arrived. The rain had subsided, but that didn't really make things any better. This time, it was on a rooftop of an abandoned mall, on the outskirts of the city. It was due for redevelopment, yet it never managed to get past the planning phase.

Noah sighed as he gestured for the other two to hang back. "Right, Terra. Lay it on us," he said, "How long has this body been sitting here?"

"A few hours, at most. Dropped off in broad daylight," Terra told them, "The fingerprint match came through... the victim is Roland Wayne. He was a known for... uh, well, dealing drugs. He always managed to evade capture..."

"Yeah, I remember him... he targeted school kids," Syrena noted, "Don't tell me we have a vigilante on our hands... Auros has enough problems already?"

Mika perked up. "What about the state of the body? Is it exactly the same as the other one...?" He asked Terra. 

"Exactly the same... same mark, too," Terra sighed. "We didn't realise that part to the press... this has got to be the same person, right?"

"Mm... it's likely," agreed Noah, "Please tell me there was a witness or two. This was out in the open... during daytime, no less..."

Terra gestured towards a little girl sitting in a police vehicle. "Just one. But she's mute, and none of us can understand sign language," they complained, "We asked for an interpreter to be sent down, but it's going to take a while."

"I... can only remember the basics from training," Noah admitted, "Mika, Syrena... can you two translate what the girl is signing?"

Syrena looked up with a grin on her face. "Finally! I knew that I'd be able to make use of that training one day," she chuckled. "I'll go over and talk to her. Back in a bit!"

Whilst Syrena was talking to the witness, Noah scanned the crime scene for any evidence. Just like before, it was wiped clean of anything that could identify the killer. 

Luckily, Syrena returned shortly with the information. "Okay... she said that she saw a guy in a suit carrying an empty suitcase. She also wants a lift home, if that's okay with everyone..."

"Get uniform to take her home," Noah instructed, "A... a man in a suit, huh? Did she say anything specific about him?"

"Um... grey hair... not much else. Glasses," Syrena frowned. "Not much to go on, but it's a lead, right? So... what do we do now, Noah?"

"H-Hey... I've been thinking about that knife Gab showed us," Mika spoke up, "I know this seems boring... but why don't we go through some files and newspaper clippings and see if it's come up before?"

"That's... an incredibly boring task. One that we could just give to Gab," Noah paused before continuing. "But... fine. Fine. Back to the station. We've barely got enough time left in the day to get started."

——

Mika was about to fall asleep when they finally stumbled across something. His head was resting against his desk when he finally spotted it. The knife was featured in an article about an accident that occurred during the filming of a new sci-fi TV show. 

"I think I found it!" Mika said with glee, "Look... that's the knife, right? If it was involved in something like this, then it would've been stored as evidence..."

"Oh... I thought that show got cancelled because of the accident," Syrena shrugged. "It wasn't meant to be sharp, but the props team screwed up and made it so. They almost killed a pretend corpse because of it."

"A sci-fi show... no wonder why the knife is so weird," Noah huffed. How did they not spot this before? "Let's check and see if it's still being stored as evidence."

Syrena ran to the back and returned a few minutes later, out of breath. "Okay... so... um," she took a moment to catch her breath. "Commissioner James took the knife out of evidence a few days ago. That's what the records say, anyway..."

"Oh... so we have to pay him a visit?" Mika whispered, "He's scary... and I feel like this is above our pay grade..."

"We have to. Just because he's the commissioner, doesn't mean he can get away with murder," Noah reminded him, "Uh... possibly, anyway. Nothing's proven yet. He's just incredibly suspicious right now."

"Yeah, because owning the knife that was used in the murders isn't incriminating at all," chuckled Syrena. "I'll drive this time. Let's go pay our dear old commissioner a visit..."

——

As usual, Commissioner James was in the meeting by the time the trio got there. They had to spend a few minutes waiting for the meeting to finish before barging in with questions. 

The rest of the members filtered out of the room, leaving Commissioner James inside, alone. Noah gestured for the other two to follow him. They were expected.

"Commissioner James," Noah greeted, taking a seat nearby. "Sorry to disturb you... but this couldn't wait. We're investigating what appears to be a serial killer, you see..."

"You don't want him killing again?" Commissioner James assumed, brushing away his grey hair. "I get it. Continue, Detective."

Mika frowned at his words, but ignored it for now as Noah began his questioning. Something wasn't right here.

"The knife used in the crime was a special one," Noah began, "It was kept away as evidence, you see. So... you can imagine our shock when we find out that you were the one to take it out of holding."

"Isn't it normal for a commissioner to review evidence?" He frowned. "I do that with plenty of evidence. It's just a coincidence."

"Yes, but... the knife was unique," Syrena interjected, "It had three blades... and a very specific design. What did you do with that knife?"

"Like I said, I just checked it over. It hasn't left my office," Commissioner James insisted, "You're not seriously suggesting that I did these crimes, are you?"

Mika cleared his throat to speak. "Um... i-if you weren't the killer, then how would you know that they were a he? That's what you said earlier... and we haven't told anyone about our witness."

"That's right," Noah quickly cut in before he could reply. "We have a witness that saw you dump a body. So why don't you confess now?"

Admittedly, it was a half-bluff. The witness saw someone, not Commissioner James. But he didn't know that.

“You haven’t made one thing very clear. Why on earth would I kill those people?” He asked them, “You haven’t given me a motive.”

“I... I have thought about that,” Syrena muttered, “Both victims had charges raised against them, but both were dropped due to lack of evidence. Seems like they managed to get good lawyers... and your crackdown on crime has been slipping as of late. You’re not very good at keeping the criminals locked up, as the papers say.”

“That’s slander!” Commissioner James cried, “Get out of here, right this instant! You have no right-”

“We’ll talk more down at the station,” Noah pulled out some handcuffs. “You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention, when questioned, something which you later rely on in court...”

——

Mika and Syrena were waiting near Gabriella when Noah came over. The interrogation was successful. His smile told them that.

“Yep, he killed them,” Noah told the group, “Just like you said. They kept taunting him about their escape, and he just... snapped. He’s been in the job for so long... that must’ve been the final straw...”

“I guess we’ll need a new commissioner,” Mika frowned. “Oh, well. Does this mean we get to all have a drink?!”

“Bout Time opened an hour ago... drinks are on me for tonight!” Syrena grinned excitedly, “Say, Gab... did you wanna join us for celebratory drinks?”

Gabriella flinched upon being referred to by name. “Um. I don’t... I don’t drink. I’m not an old man. Like the old man over there,” she gestured towards Noah.

“You don’t have to drink alcohol, silly,” Syrena insisted, “You can have a soda. Come on... it’ll be fun!”

Gabriella sat still for a few moments. “Do they... serve food...?” She eventually asked.

“They do takeaway and eat-in food,” Mika informed her. “They get their food from this restaurant from down the road, so it’s gotten super nice lately!”

“Okay. I’ll go... b-but only because you’re paying!” Gabriella spat as she began to grab her things.

——

The three of them had visited Bout Time for as long as they were detectives. It was one of the only places in Auros in a constant immaculate condition (for example, none of their windows were broken). Even the gangs stayed away from the place. 

It was able to be kept in this condition due to the owner’s wife. Her job usually pulled her away from her family, so she often sent payments as an apology. Thomas Cabot had started the business when his daughter, Patricia, was just a child. Patricia was now working there as a waitress, now that her studies were over. 

Patricia strolled up to the detective’s table and grinned. “Hey, guys! You have a new friend, I see... are you an intern?” She asked the group.

Gabriella shook her head. “No... I work with them... officially,” she managed to get out.

“Gabriella isn’t used to people,” Syrena explained, “I’m a little surprised she came with us, but... it’s probably because I’m paying.”

“What do you do?” Patricia continued her questioning, brushing through her brown hair. “Are you a detective, too?”

“I... type,” Gabriella said simply.

Unsure that Gabriella was going to say anything else, Patricia focused her attention on the others. “Alright, what do you want to drink? Then, you can tell me all about this new case you just solved~!”

Noah rolled his eyes. If the department ever found out that they had been telling Patricia practically everything that was going on, they would surely be fired. But it was difficult to avoid such conversations when your waitress is the one that asks about it. Especially when it was someone as stubborn and nosey as Patricia. 

“Cocktail,” Mika replied, “The... um... Cosmopolitan!”

“Wine for me,” said Syrena, “Full bodied. Nothing too expensive...”

“Beer,” Noah grunted.

“Soda,” Gabriella whispered, “Um... and some chicken nuggets.”

Patricia dashed off to get their drinks, returning with that same grin on her face. “Food’s cooking... now, tell me everything! Is it true that you caught that serial killer, before they could even give them a name?!”

“It wasn’t anybody that big! It was just the Commissioner, thinking that the ends justified the means,” Syrena explained to her, “He was really annoyed with common criminals that had managed to escape his grasp, I guess...”

“It’s a shame. Although, he was a bit strict at times... hopefully the new commissioner will be nicer,” Noah commented, “Reckon anything good will come of this?”

“Oh, for sure!” Mika said as he took a sip from his drink. “We stopped a serial murder case and arrested a corrupt commissioner!”

“I thought it was just a bit too easy...” Gabriella muttered, mostly to herself.

“It does sound a bit easy,” Patricia agreed, “But, you guys are trusted detectives. If it was a corrupt official trying to arrest him, they might’ve thought about it for a bit more...”

“I’m done talking about it for now,” Noah chimed in, “Let’s just talk about something else, alright? The more I think about it, the more I can’t help but to think that something’s up...”

“Come on, there’s hardly anyone higher than the commissioner!” Syrena reminded him, “If they wanted to get rid of him, they would’ve found another way. Besides, he chose to do this... no matter how you spin it...”

“Ooh. Chicken nuggets are ready!” Patricia beamed as she ran off once more, eager to calm the beeping noise from the kitchen. Gabriella would finally be able to eat her chicken nuggets. Finally.


	4. LINK

A week later, the trio were called into Chief Suzuki's office. Whilst this wasn't exactly an abnormal occurrence, it was still odd that all three of them were called in. If there was a new case for them, she usually called Noah in. 

"I've been given some funding for a new task force," Chief Suzuki announced to the group as they sat down. "Since you three work well together... I've decided to have this task force be made up of you three."

"A task force?" Syrena repeated, "Um, what's it for, exactly? Drugs? Do we get cool gadgets or something?"

"That's... beyond your pay grade," Chief Suzuki sighed. "What the task force is for, I mean. You'll be called LINK. What most of the money was spent on will be located in the second floor of the garage. I... tried to stop Gabriella from examining it, but I'm afraid my efforts were fruitless. She nabbed the keys and is currently inspecting it further."

"Oh... so it's like a cool van or something!" Mika grinned. Noah would probably be the one driving it, but that didn't matter right now. "Let's go downstairs and check it out!"

"You're not concerned about what we're supposed to be fighting?" Noah frowned. "It's not very helpful - creating a task force for something, and not telling us what we're supposed to be fighting against."

"Like I said, that information is above your pay grade," Chief Suzuki dismissed Noah's argument with a roll of her eyes. "I'd want to check on that SUV, if I were you. Gabriella is trying to take that thing apart."

——

Mika ran up to the black SUV with an excited giggle. It was a large, not-so-conspicuous vehicle with the word 'LINK' written on the sides. He thought about how much money it cost as Gabriella was messing about with the SUV's engine.

"Hey, this is ours now!" Gabriella grinned wildly. "Can you believe they gave us a free car? It has a bunch of cool technology in it, too!"

"It's technically for us detectives, Gab," Noah told her as he examined the SUV from the outside. "What sort of modifications did they add to this? I assume you know."

"Well, old man," Gabriella turned her attention away from the engine and towards the inside of the SUV itself. "There's these screens fixed to the back seats. They can access the entire database of the APD... but most of the information is locked behind a wall. I was gonna hack it, but that camera keeps looking at me..."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Gab," Syrena chuckled nervously. "You don't want to get fired for looking at places you're not supposed to be looking at. You're not even supposed to be looking at it."

"You can't just place a super cool SUV down here and expect me to not look at it," Gabriella argued, "Besides, you guys got an alert. It kept making this annoying beeping noise until I put it on mute. Check it out - it's on one of the screens."

The three detectives stuck their heads inside of the SUV to take a look at one of the screens that Gabriella was going on about. Sure enough, there was an alert on the screen - Terra wanted to see them. Something regarding a thing called 'Emote.'

"What the hell is an emote?" Noah exclaimed, earning a small chuckle from Gabriella.

——

Terra was already waiting for them by the time they entered the coroner's office. Gabriella had opted to stay behind and continue to examine the SUV, to no one's surprise. 

"I see you know about that alert system in your new vehicle," Terra grinned as they entered the room. "Chief Suzuki told me about it, but I didn't think it would work..."

"Yeah, Gab showed us that on the SUV," Syrena told them, "What was it that you wanted to show us? Don't tell me you called us over here because of an emoji or something."

"If only it was something that pleasant," Terra sighed before turning their attention to the tablet in their hands. "I've turned up a few bodies recently with an odd item on their necks. There's nothing linking the deaths... I have one person that committed suicide by jumping from the Umeni building, another dying of a laughing fit... some have been turning up with that item on their necks after going on a crime spree."

"That thing on their necks... what is it, exactly?" Mika asked, eager to get to the point. "Is it that... Emote thing you were going on about?"

Terra held up a small tape-like object with a smiley face on it. "This... this is what we're calling Emote. It was found on each one of those bodies, on the neck," they explained, "We've been doing tests to see what it does to the body... but we haven't found anything yet. Either way, it's a new drug being passed around on the streets. Chief Suzuki wants you guys to check it out."

"There's nothing linking the deaths... I don't even know where we can start," Syrena couldn't help but to sigh. "Terra... where did all of the victims live? Maybe they're handing it out at a specific place."

"Um... near Splough, I think," Terra glanced back at their tablet before continuing. "Yeah. Maybe you should start there... see if you can spot anyone taking it. It's easily exposed on their necks, after all."

"We can take the new SUV out for a drive," Noah instructed to the other two, "I'll drive, of course. We'll make sure that Gab stays behind. We'll... also make sure that the thing is locked. It'll be embarrassing if that expensive thing gets stolen."

"I'll keep you updated if I find anything," Terra smiled at them. "I think it's pretty fun, having a big message pop up on those screens whenever I send you anything."

——

Noah pulled up at the side of the road. The SUV was definitely drawing a bit of attention, especially on a street like this. For a classified task force, they weren't very hidden. 

“You know, this is on the border of Corvega and Miagami,” Syrena noted as she glanced at a nearby street sign. “Corvega... there’s one man that I can think about when I hear about a new case of drug trafficking. Julius Roquellet.”

“You’re talking about the unofficial leader of Corvega, correct?” Noah stepped outside and locked the SUV. “I know Gloria has had a fair share of trouble from him. The APD have been trying to pin him down for a while now. You think he’s behind this?”

“Maybe... but we should see if we can catch one of the runners. They’re usually the younger ones, right?” Mika said, pointing towards a nearby alleyway. “Let’s start here. If we can find a runner, we can work our way up to the top!”

The three detectives began walking down the many alleyways of Splough, on a wild goose chase. They were looking for any sign of the Emote drug down these dark streets. It could be a packet sitting on the street, or a deal taking place.

“This is ridiculous... we’ll never find anything at this rate,” Syrena complained, “Noah, there has to be another way. We could just listen out for any reports-”

Noah grabbed Syrena’s arm and pointed skyward. “I doubt anyone is going to report that,” he said with a dark tone.

Syrena looked up and saw a man slamming his head against a window, seemingly in a laughing fit. She could make out the faint sounds of laughter, even from outside. 

“We need to head inside!” Mika cried out as he bolted inside the apartment complex. “Come on, you two! What are you waiting for?!”

Noah and Syrena followed Mika into the apartment complex and up a flight of stairs. By the time they reached the first floor, Mika had already charged into an opened door. Judging from the laughter, it was the same room that the man was in.

When Syrena ran inside, the man was already lunging for Mika. It reminded her of how zombies lunged are their victims in big budget films. She grabbed the man from behind and pulled him away from Mika, before spying a familiar item on his neck.

“Be careful,” Mika warned her, “We shouldn’t touch it with our bare hands. Take it off gently. That’s what I was trying to do, before he started clawing me...”

Noah helped Syrena hold the man still as she peeled off the Emote on his neck. The man’s face was slowly starting to turn blue - his laughing fit was starting to take its toll. If he didn’t stop soon-

Luckily, Noah had a solution for that. When the Emote was off, he hit the man over the back of the head with a nearby pan. Not enough to kill him - just enough to knock him out. Sure enough, the man stopped laughing.

“What the hell was that?” Syrena was the first to speak. She placed the Emote into a clear evidence bag. “Mika, will that guy be alright?”

Mika examines the man closer. It was during times like these that his medical expertise came in handy. “Um... his pulse his calming down now... I noticed it was unusually high when he was trying to grab me,” he frowned. “Remember what Terra said? One victim laughed themselves to death. The same thing was going to happen with this man... we should interrogate him when he wakes up.”

“Good idea.” Noah agreed as he began to look around the room. “Seems like he lives alone... this place has seen better days.”

“It’s tiny and cramped,” Syrena commented, “But... how did he get his hands on Emote? Do you think there’s a supplier nearby?”

“We won’t know until he wakes up. Mika, keep an eye on him until then,” Noah instructed, “I can’t have another laughing fit... it gets annoying quickly.”

“I’ll keep an eye on his vitals!” Mika beamed, despite the heavy air around them. “It’s a good thing I always bring my first aid kit with me, huh? For once... it’s useful...!”

After a short while, the man started to stir. Mika stood up and glanced at Noah, unsure of what to do. Noah simply nodded and stood in front of Mika protectively.

The man opened his eyes and looked up at Noah. “Who the hell... are you?” He murmured, rubbing his lips. 

“APD,” Noah responded, showing the man his ID. “We need information about that drug you just... it’s called Emote, isn’t it? Where did you get it from?”

“Some kid just gave it to me. Said it would make me feel happy,” the man replied, knowing that he didn’t have much choice but to co-operate. “It was free, so I thought I’d try it. Maybe it was a tester thing. It did make me feel happy... uh, happy enough to almost laugh myself to death.”

“We should take you to Terra. They might be able to study the impacts of Emote,” Syrena suggested, “Better than us three can, anyway. Do you have any more details on the kid that gave it to you? What did he look like?”

The man shrugged. “Some little blond-haired kid. He had a weird patch on his arm - a car, or something,” he said, “He was handing it out to others, too. I think... because it was free, people were just taking it.”

“A car... would you recognise it if we showed you a sketch or copy?” Syrena asked him, “I have an idea of what you’re talking about...”

“Uh... sure?” The man frowned. “Does this mean I’ll get arrested? I was totally the victim here! I could’ve died!”

“We’ll talk more down at the station,” Noah told him, helping the man up. “Mika will keep an eye on you until we get you to a doctor. We don’t know if you’re out of the woods quite yet...”


	5. Fragments

Gabriella watched as Noah and the others presented the Chief with a copy of Emote. For some reason, Syrena had a dark look on her face the entire time. Whilst Gabriella was working on a possible match for the weird patch the 'witness' was talking about, Syrena approached her. 

"I have an idea of what that patch looks like," Syrena began, sitting down next to Gabriella. "But I don't want you to tell anyone. Say that it was a guess or something."

Gabriella nodded slowly as she watched Syrena sketch out her idea of the patch. It was definitely a car - one of those old sports-type ones. Syrena grabbed a few coloured pencils and added a bit of colour. The patch was orange in colour, with the car being a dark brown. 

"I'll, uh, make a mock-up on my computer and send it over," Gabriella said with a nervous smile. "You look like you need some rest... just my professional opinion."

"It's just been a long day... that's all," Syrena replied, "My shift is ending. I'll go straight to bed when I get home... you better do the same too, Gab."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. She was an adult now. Bedtime wasn't a thing anymore. "Yeah, yeah," Gabriella dismissed Syrena's advice. "I'll head home as soon as I've finished with this patch. It's important."

Syrena nodded and headed to her desk. Usually, she would check in on Mika or Noah, but right now she just wanted to head home. She never liked cases to do with illegal drugs. They reminded her of her father. 

Her computer hummed as it warmed up. She pulled her personal files up and glanced through them. Whilst the Miagami area of Auros was ran by Gloria Hawthorne, the Corvega area was unofficially run by Julius Roquellet. Syrena's childhood home was located in Corvega. Julius' gang had been running the area (albeit, under a different leader) for as long as Syrena could remember.

Gloria focused on information. That was her trade. She understood that there were certain rules when it came to running things - especially when the APD was involved. Julius was different. He was the worst kind of criminal.

His drug trade focused on the areas of Corvega that were the poorest. Drug addiction was ripe in places like Splough. He constantly came into contact with the APD. However, they were still unable to capture him. How were they going to prevent the spread of Emote if they couldn't stop the kingpin? 

The question kept Syrena up at night. Her main reason for being here was so that she could put a stop to Julius and his gang. She knew that the only reason Mika was here was because he had failed nursing school - he wouldn't understand her need to see this case closed. 

Noah's reasoning for being here was beyond her knowledge. But surely he'd understand that they needed to find Julius. And quick. Maybe, just maybe... if they put a stop to Emote and caught one of Julius' runners, they would be a step closer to catching him.

But it was getting late now. She needed to get home and rest. Syrena wouldn't be useful to anyone if she didn't get any sleep. 

——

Gabriella was having a midnight snack when she heard the front door open. She put down her snack and approached the door carefully. Her phone was in her hand, just in case. 

Her worries were unfounded - she was greeted with the rough sight of her sister, Natasha. She was late home from work, and covered in bruises. Natasha threw her bag down and nodded towards Gabriella.

"You spend all night worrying about me, Gab?" Natasha smirked, grabbing a pint of milk from the fridge. "You were always a little baby. I told you I'd be home, didn't I?"

"Where'd you get those bruises from?" Gabriella asked immediately, cutting to the chase. "Y-You have a lot... was that from work?"

"There was a bar fight. That's all. I was on shift, so I had to step in," Natasha explained, "The bar would've been in ruins by the time the police arrived. No point calling them."

"Y-You should see if you can get a better job in a nicer bar," Gabriella frowned. "One that isn't in Miagami. What if you had broken a bone or something...?"

"This job is alright. It pays the bills, Gab," she shrugged. "We can't afford to move out right now. Besides, it's close to the APD here. You don't have to get a bus or anything to work."

"I... I'm going to bed," Gabriella said nonchalantly, "I'll see you in the morning... I have work tomorrow, anyways."

When Gabriella got back to her room, she sent a text message to Noah. He was the most responsible person she knew that wasn't Natasha. Plus, he was a detective. They had to help people. 

She fell asleep some time after that. When her alarm went off the next morning, she reluctantly got dressed. If the 'old man' had listened to her, he would be arriving any minute now. He had to. 

Luckily, Natasha was still asleep when Noah knocked on their door. Gabriella grabbed her bag and rushed outside, slamming straight into Noah. 

"W-Will you watch where you're standing?!" Gabriella grumbled as she shut the door behind her. 

"You were the one that called me here," Noah muttered, standing back. "What is it, anyway? You text me in the middle of the night, asking me to meet you before work..."

"I... I want to check something out," Gabriella told him, "My sister works as a barista at the Three Sisters. She says there was a bar fight there last night... she got pretty hurt, so I wanted to check it out."

Noah seemed to flinch upon hearing the name. "At this time of day? The bar will be closed. Are you saying we just-"

"You're a detective, aren't you? Say you're investigating a noise disturbance or something," she grinned, climbing into Noah's car. "Come on, driver. Get me there."

He rolled his eyes and reluctantly got into his car. "You're lucky I'm a kind person," he grumbled before he started the engine.

——

Noah pulled up to the Three Sisters bar and got out of the car. He instructed Gabriella to do the same. The two of them walked up to the door of the bar and knocked expectantly.

The door opened just a tad. There was a rough-looking man stood behind it. “What do you want?” He grunted, “We’re closed.”

“APD,” Noah flashed his badge. “Apparently, there was a fight here last night. Did anything like that happen?”

“There wasn’t a fight. Trust me, I’d know. I was on security last night,” the man responded, “You can ask the neighbours. It’s a small one. They’d hear a fight.”

“Wh-What about the baristas?” Gabriella pressed, “Were any of them hurt last night?”

“Like I said, there wasn’t a fight. Can you go now?” The man rolled his eyes at them. “It was a normal night for us.”

Noah nodded his head and turned Gabriella away. “See? Nothing happened. Get in the car,” he told her, getting in to the car himself. 

Gabriella huffed as she threw herself into his car. “He’s lying! Let’s get him! My sister was hurt, for sure!”

“You need to drop this,” Noah looked her dead in the eye. “Don’t come here again, Gab. It’s not a good place. We need to get to work, anyway.”

“Don’t hide things from me, old man,” Gabriella frowned. “What do you know about that place? My sister says I should stay away, too... what’s so bad about this place?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he started the engine and began to drive to the APD. Gabriella seemed to get the message and spent the rest of the journey in an angry silence.

——

Mika and Syrena were already waiting for Noah by the time he arrived. Syrena was waving a piece of paper around excitedly in front of Mika. Business as usual, it seemed. 

“We’ve found a match for that patch!” Syrena slammed the bit of paper down on Noah’s desk. “Just as I thought... it’s the sign of Julius’ gang. We have to find one of their runners... then we can lead up to him!”

“Sorry. She’s been like this all morning,” Mika chuckled nervously. “We’ve told officers about this... so they’ll be keeping an eye out. The Chief has increased patrols in areas where she thinks Emote is being sold.”

“We’ll catch a runner in no time... I know it... then we can find where it’s coming from, and then... we’ll finally get Julius, I know it,” Syrena said to herself, “We will. We’ll catch him...”

“Remember, it’s hard to catch a kingpin like that,” Noah reminded her, “He’s evaded capture for a while now. He’s stopped public appearances for a reason...”

“I don’t think he’ll evade us this time!” Syrena grinned. “There’s no one that the three of us can’t take down. I mean, we took down the commissioner, of all people!”

“Syrena, you’re getting really worked up over this,” Mika frowned. “We were just going to to paperwork today... if you really want to join the patrols, go ahead. I’m not going to stop you.”

Syrena looked at Noah with wide eyes. “Will you... will you let me join them? The patrols? I... I just want to find them... really, really badly.” 

“Stay safe,” Noah warned her, “I don’t want anything happening to our third member. Mika and I will take care of the paperwork in the meantime. You’re not really into paperwork, anyway...”

“Oh, thank you, Noah!” Syrena hugged her partner tight, causing Noah to shove her away. “Um. Sorry! I forgot that you’re not a fan of hugs... especially tight ones... I’ll be back with a runner, I promise!”

Mika shook his head as Syrena went running up to the Chief’s office. “Are you sure that was a good idea, Noah?” He asked his companion. “She might... might get in trouble.”

“She’s an adult. A responsible person,” Noah shrugged. “I believe in her... she wouldn’t be able to sit still if we let her stay here. I just... I just hope she realises soon that it’s not always that easy to arrest someone.”

“That’s why you haven’t arrested Gloria yet, right?” Mika whispered so no one else could hear. 

“Right. If I arrested her - and managed to get her a guilty verdict in court - someone like Julius would just take over. Things would be unstable again,” Noah explained, “That’s what happened when they got rid of the guy before Julius. It’s the sad truth... you can’t stamp out organised crime completely.”

“This sucks... nothing like those stupid dramas you see on TV,” Mika sighed sadly. “Hey, do you think Gloria would know anything about Emote?”

“It’s... not in her area. But I know she would kill for any information on Julius. She might know something... but it’s a stretch,” Noah shook his head. “If Syrena doesn’t find anything, I’ll go and ask her. Or you could just message your cousin...”

“A-Adrian prefers to stay out of the shady side of the business,” Mika chuckled. “But, um... I could ask him. But only if Syrena doesn’t find anything. Besides, I think Gloria would prefer to see you...”

Noah paused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Y-You know-! She might... like like you... she might see you as an attractive man! Or something! Why else does she like you so much?” 

“... I’m not continuing this line of conversation, Mika.”

Mika rolled his eyes. “I was just teasing... anyways, let’s get started on this paperwork. The Chief will get angry if we leave it until the last minute... like last time. Plus, with Syrena’s to do, that’s only increased our workload... come on, Noah. I’ll race you!”

“Since when was paperwork a contest?” Noah rolled his eyes. “You’re a strange one, Mika...”


	6. Finding Emote

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow updates bc I started uni! Please understand..

Syrena had planted herself on an old bench in one of the many side streets of Splough. She thought that it was a better idea than simply following patrols around - what sort of drug dealer would deal in front of uniform, anyway? 

She watched as a small boy wondered down the street. He seemed a bit lost - he was scanning the faces of the few people that were walking past. When he saw Syrena sitting at the bench, he smiled and walked over to her.

"Hello, miss," he greeted, sitting down next to her. "Are you on your own? You waiting for anyone?"

Syrena stared at the child. What an odd thing to ask. "Um. I'm on my own, yes... why? Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

"I'm earning money for them. Soooo..." he fished around in his bag and pulled out a small plastic bag. "It's a fiver for a taste. New thing going 'round. Called Emote. Want it?"

Her mouth dropped open. Julius was getting kids to deal his drugs for him. Her hatred of the man was growing by the second. "I... where did you get this? I've never heard of it before," she lied.

"Mr. Roquellet got this fresh off some drug trial, I think," the boy told her, "They didn't expect it to have such a dramatic effect. Says it makes you feel like the king of the world."

"No... no. I think I'm good." Syrena chuckled lightly. "Um. You should find someone else to sell that stuff to. It's not for me."

The boy shrugged and jumped off the bench they were sitting on. He continued to head down the street, looking at the faces of passersby. 

This was Syrena's chance. She could follow the boy back to where he was getting the drugs from. All she had to do was not look like a stalker. She had a little bit of training about pursuing a suspect - but that was all artificial. She never had to do it in real life before, in an actual situation. 

Doing her best to remember her training, she kept to the shadows of the street. Her phone was out, and she was staring at it every now and then. Wondering aimlessly, almost (that's how she hoped to look like to passersby). 

Luckily, no one seemed to care about a random woman on her phone. They were all distracted by their own phones. Syrena thanked technology and continued to follow the boy.

It must've been an hour or so until the boy finally stopped looking for people to sell Julius' product to. He looked at his watch and headed deep into the streets Corvega. Syrena had no idea where they were by now - they was in an area that even she had never been to.

The boy eventually stopped in front of an old storage shed in the docks. Of course - Julius would have shipments come in through boat. Of course he would need to have some sort of base near the docks.

Syrena waited for a minute before heading inside herself. She sent a quick message to Noah, telling him of her location. Just in case. She could never be too careful, after all. 

Inside, the storage shed contained cardboard boxes stacked up to the ceiling. She managed to hide behind some as she spied on the boy in front of her. He was talking to the only man in the room - unfortunately, it wasn't Julius. It was probably some worker of his, she thought.

She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but the boy gave the man the money he had collected. He gave up the bag, too, and took some of the money for himself. It was at this point that the boy left the storage shed, his shift over.

Whilst this was going on, Syrena glanced down at the boxes in front of her. There was an address on them - faint, but still readable. Most of the boxes had the same sheet of paper stuck on them. She got out her phone and took a picture.

_'PROPERTY OF UMENI ENTERPRISES  
C10H21NO - EMOTE   
TO BE TERMINATED'_

Syrena thought back about Umeni Enterprises. They were the biggest company in Auros - with their HQ being situated there. They were that kind of company with a monopoly in seemingly everything - but they mainly specialised in technology and pharmaceuticals.

Julius must've been taking the discarded stock and using it for his own profit. What other explanation would there be for a discarded drug of Umeni Enterprises to land here, of all places? She would have to look into it. 

She held her breath as the man in the room with her walked out, putting his phone to his ear. This was her chance. She could get out, and Noah and the others would arrive and seize the stock. If only they knew if this was all of it. Julius would probably have more places such as this stocked to the ceiling.

Making sure the man was long gone, she headed outside to wait for the others to show up. That was far too easy, right? There's no way Julius would've left that stock, unguarded. Unless he had some sort of ulterior motive...

The LINK SUV soon pulled up to the docks, alongside two police vans. Noah and Mika climbed out of the SUV and ran over to Syrena whilst the uniforms headed inside the storage shed.

"Are you okay?" Noah asked Syrena, "You shouldn't have gone off by yourself. What would've happened if one of Julius' goons found you?"

"I'm fine! Really," Syrena assured him, "Besides, I wouldn't have found this place if I didn't go off on my own. Isn't that more important, hmm?"

"I have a feeling he's not gonna be too happy about this," Mika frowned. "You know, taking his profit and stuff. I suppose he should've invested in something more legal, though."

"He should've guarded his stuff better, then," smirked Noah. "Besides, if he's hoarding Emote, then he should know better. At least we'll be able to find out more about it."

"The boxes said they came from Umeni Enterprises. If they're the source of this drug, then we're in every right to question them about it," Syrena told the two, "It's a bit vague, though... it doesn't have an exact return address. Just that it's from some place within Umeni."

"It has to be some sort of pharmaceutical division," Noah decided, "There can't be too many around that trial a drug like Emote. I'll get Gabriella to look into it for us... although, I have a feeling she'll get carried away..."

"You're too harsh on her! She'll be a good girl, as long as you stop treating her like a child," Syrena scolded him, "She's an adult now - and she's got an important job to do, too."

"I reckon we should all get a good night's rest and let the lab look at these boxes," Mika beamed. He always looked on the bright side. "Gabriella should be able to find out more about where it originated from. Hey, we could be able to question someone tomorrow!"

"It's a police matter, so they better talk to us at some point," Noah scoffed, "I'm going to stay here for a bit. Syrena, head home. You've had a long day already. See your family."

"Alright, alright! I'm going, Noah!" Syrena chuckled as she waved goodbye to the two. "See you guys tomorrow, okay?"

——

Syrena slammed the door shut and threw her bag down. She rubbed her eyes and wandered into the kitchen to see what was cooking. Her stomach had been rumbling ever since she was dismissed.

Her brother, Marius, was waiting for her to come home. He was waving a letter in his hands. “This fancy letter came for you earlier. I didn’t see who left it there, though. They just rang the doorbell and left,” he said.

“A... letter?” Syrena repeated, taking the letter from Marius’ hands. “That’s weird... for it to not come in the post...”

Marius leaned over her shoulder as she opened the letter.

_‘Detective,_  
It would be in your best to stay clear of my business. I would be willing to forgive you for this little transgression if all of my stock was to be returned to me, unharmed. Delve any deeper, and you’ll be forced to deal with seeing my pretty face.  
\- Julius Roquellet’ 

A picture fell out of the envelope. It was a screenshot of the security footage in the storage shed. Syrena was seen on camera, in full view.

“You... you’re going after Julius Roquellet? Now?” Marius mouth dropped open. “You know how dangerous that it-! If Mom finds out-”

“She won’t find out,” she insisted, “You need to believe in me. I have a team of people that can help me... this is the best chance we have to catch him.”

“We’re supposed to go after him together... I’m still in training. I can’t take on such a big case when I’m so young. Especially if it’s the trial of Julius Roquellet. The entire justice system is after that guy! I won’t get first dibs on a case like that...!”

“It was just a coincidence that the case I was assigned led to him, okay? Stop panicking... I said it’ll be okay. I can get police protection here if things get bad... he’s just trying to threaten me off of his trail. Like he does with everyone.”

Marius shifted in his seat. “I still don’t agree with this... what if something was to happen to you? It’s not like mom gets much money anymore. I hardly get anything - and I’ve still got my student loans to pay for...”

“I... I have that sorted, too,” Syrena mumbled, “The APD should give you a hefty package if I... like I said, I have it sorted. You won’t be left starving because...”

“Please be careful,” Marius insisted, pulling Syrena into a tight hug. “You’re still my sister. I still care about you....”

The two of them stayed in that hug for a little longer than necessary, but it didn’t matter to them. What mattered now was that they were still there for each other. 

——

Gloria grinned as she watched Adrian place a batch of cupcakes in front of her. She had a sweet tooth - but she wasn’t so keen to admit it. Few bakers could produce food as sweet as Adrian’s. 

“Oh, um... I think your guest is here,” Adrian told her, “The mafia man. So... am I dismissed?”

“Yes... go home and see your brother - Jack, was it? Take the day off tomorrow,” Gloria instructed, “I have enough cupcakes to last me for now. I’ll be... preoccupied tomorrow, anyway.”

Julius Roquellet passed Adrian on his way to where Gloria was sitting. He reluctantly sat down opposite her when he realised that no one was going to serve him. Gloria had recently replaced most of her staff with androids, and most of them seemed to be malfunctioning. 

“So, what’s the deal with this Emote business, then?” Gloria asked him, not bothering to deal with pleasantries. “I hear the APD got to your stock. You’re getting cocky.”

“They can’t touch me. You should know that by now,” Julius smirked. “They understand that most of their stash is supplied by me. Take me out, and suddenly they’ll have to go back to taking from the evidence locker again.”

“Just stay away from my boys,” Gloria demanded, peeling the packaging off of a cupcake. “Well... Adrian, for one. His little brother, too. Noah is one of mine, too.”

“The one with that pretty snitch of a detective? I never would’ve guessed. If I find out that you had anything to do with that-”

“Ha! What would I have to gain from that?” Gloria laughed in his face. “Emote is only being used in Corvega, not Miagami. As it will stay. You have your terms, and I have mine. I’m just ensuring that we stick to them.”

Julius crossed his arms and sighed. He always hated these passive aggressive negotiations. Especially with someone like Gloria Hawthorne.


	7. I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update! I've been focusing on writing my essays for uni, and then half of this chapter got deleted, so I had to write it again... haha....

Gabriella was waiting for the group by the time they arrived. Her eyes were tired. She was waving a piece of paper in her hands around frantically.

"I can't wait to get this day over with," Mika yawned, ignoring Gabriella. "I wanna go to Adrian's for lunch. He's baking some new stuff today, and I'm gonna help taste test."

"You can't just say that and expect us to not want to tag along!" Syrena complained, "Hey, here's an idea... why don't we invite him to come along to Bout Time with us? That way, he can bring his cakes and stuff, and we can try them!"

"Well... we have to finish this case, first," Noah chuckled. "Remember, we're focusing on Umeni Enterprises for today and how Emote came about. Not Julius."

Syrena huffed in response. "I still think we should go after him. If we take him down, then we take down the entire drug... thing! You know! Ugh! It makes me so mad..."

"I get that... but that's not what we're assigned to do," Noah told her, "You get that, right? If the Chief doesn't tell us to pursue something, then we shouldn't do it. There's a dedicated task force that's taking down Julius. And we're not a part of that. We're after Emote, specifically."

"W-We might be able to be a part of that task force one day-!" Mika reassured her, "You've always been obsessed with him... but this could mean that you become a target. You know how dangerous that is."

"L-Let's leave this for now. Look - Gabriella is getting impatient," Noah gestured to the girl waiting for them. "You know she can be... grouchy... early in the mornings. Especially if she had to work late the night before."

Sure enough, Gabriella was grouchy. "I've been waiting for ages! Ugh! Do you wanna go to this place or not? Because it's gonna take you a while," Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I've got the information you wanted, old man..."

Noah bit his lip. "Okay... right. You tracked down the exact place Emote was made? Please say it's not too far... I hate driving long distances," he complained.

"It's on the outskirts of Auros," she told them, "It's near their HQ... it makes sense... I think. Since their HQ is in Auros. The place is called Helios. Weird name, huh?"

"I... I guess? At least Julius saves on transport costs," Syrena mumbled. "We should get the SUV running. We'll hit traffic on the way there, so that's not fun..."

"Right. Thanks, Gab. Make sure you get some more sleep tonight," Noah instructed her, "Oh, and... if we finish this up tonight, we'll see you at Bout Time. You're coming, whether you like it or not."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Fine... but only because it's either that or work. And if I work, I won't be able to get a good night's sleep, since you rely on me so much-"

"And we're very grateful, Gab," Syrena smiled at her. "We'd better get going. I'll even drive, so Noah doesn't have to deal with the traffic! Also because I haven't had the chance to drive yet..."

The group waved goodbye to Gabriella and headed down into the garage, not looking forward to dealing with the traffic. That was always one annoying thing about living in a city. The traffic was constant.

——

The SUV pulled up outside Helios, a research lab surrounded by green fields. The city was looming in the background. Noah flashed his ID, the security guard allowing them inside.

"Apparently we'll be talking to Ms. Yuan about all of this," Noah told the other two, "She's in charge, so she oversees everything. She'll know about it... I mean, they're expecting us, so I hope so-"

"Okay, okay! Maybe you should let Mika and I do the talking, though," giggled Syrena. "You can be awkward in situations like this... don't try to deny it."

"I... fine. If you want to do the talking," Noah shook his head and began to walk towards reception. "I won't stop you. Just make sure you stay on topic. No gossiping - she's a busy lady, apparently."

Mika showed his badge to the receptionist, who then showed them to Ms. Yuan's office. Her office minimalistic - most of the shelves were empty, save for a few office supplies. Mika had never seen such an empty office.

Ms. Yuan stood up and went over to the group to greet them. "You must be the APD detectives. Welcome to Helios," she said, shaking their hands. "You're here to ask about Emote, correct?"

"Yes... Emote has been spread throughout Auros. We believe it was due to be destroyed... but something happened to the shipment before it could be destroyed," Syrena informed her, "Do you have the information on the company you used?"

"Of course," Ms. Yuan nodded, bringing out a list. "We use our own company's trucks - as Umeni Enterprises has a division in disposal. They told us that the shipments were destroyed... but apparently not. When I looked into it, the incinerator hasn't accepted any new deliveries for a week. And that was only after I threatened them with unemployment."

"Do you have any idea how this happened?" Mika asked her. "I mean... Julius Roquellet was involved in this. Did his gang hijack the trucks or something? Although, I thought we would've been alerted if something like that had happened."

"That... is something similar to what happened, yes," Ms. Yuan sighed. "Bribery. I don't know how much, but... don't worry. I've ensured that all corrupt employees have been... taken care of. We've even talked about adding an incinerator on-site. That way, Mr. Roquellet won't have a chance to hijack our trucks."

"I... I see... might I ask what Emote was originally used for?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "It's nice to see that you're taking action... but I can't fathom what you could've been using it for. Was it meant to be a cure for something, or...?"

"That's classified, even for you," she huffed. "We produce lots of products that fail the testing phase. We stopped the project once we realised how dangerous it was. Once we've disposed of all of our supply of Emote, Mr. Roquellet won't be able to sell it. It's not like he knows how to replicate it, anyway - the recipe is a secret."

"Let's hope it stays that way... if he ever got his hands on the recipe, it would be disastrous," Noah rubbed the back of his neck. It wasn't worth thinking about. "As long as the rest of Emote is destroyed. Julius might have another supply kicking about, but the Taskforce said that-"

"You're giving our case to them?" Syrena interrupted him before he could continue. "But you said Emote was our thing. We're just going after that. And Julius just happens to be involved."

"We've taken down one supply and ensured that Julius won't be getting anything else," Noah explained, turning his attention to her. "But now that we know it's him, it's the Taskforce's job - you know, the one tasked with taking him down?"

"He is a dangerous guy, Syrena," Mika warned her, "You have a family. Don't let Julius get in the way of that. If he targets you... well... I don't want you to get hurt. Let's just focus on whatever the Chief gives us for now, okay?"

Syrena puffed her cheeks before turning her attention back to Ms. Yuan. "Uh... thank you for your time, and ensuring that Emote doesn't get out. We'll keep an eye on things, just in case."

Mika got his phone out and sent a message to Gabriella whilst they said their goodbyes. The case didn't really feel like it was 'closed', but if their jobs were done, it still meant having a celebration at Bout Time. Gabriella was coming, whether she liked it or not.

——

Gabriella got the text as she was going on her lunch break. She turned around and headed towards Bout Time. Her fast food would have to wait. Perhaps she could convince her sister to get some on the way back from her job. Whatever that job was.

She had just turned the corner when she bumped into someone, sending her crashing down onto the pavement. Just her luck - she chose an alleyway that wasn't lit up at all. She glanced up to see who she had crashed into.

The man certainly looked out of place. He was wearing a white suit, his fingers bedazzled with rings. "Are you alright, my lady?" He asked her with an outstretched hand. "My apologies... I should've been more careful."

She resisted the urge to throw up. This guy was at least in his mid-twenties. What a creep. "Uh... whatever." Gabriella muttered, slapping his hand away and helping herself up. "I'm in a rush, so-"

"Let me at least buy you a drink to make up for it," said the man, a smirk on his lips. "It's not everyday I bump into a pretty lady..."

"I'm barely an adult. Gross," Gabriella scowled, "I have some place to be, anyway. Friends to see. I'm not looking for a date right now."

"Oh, I know. Bout Time, isn't it? I've always wanted to go there," he chuckled. "I hear it's quite posh. Well - if you count having no broken windows as posh in Auros. Maybe I'll visit the bar with you."

"I... really have to go," Gabriella cursed under her breath and pushed past the man, eager to lose him. She didn't feel safe here. Not on her own.

"Just make sure to tell your friends to stay clear of me," the man called out to her, "I thought the white suit would've been enough, but... clearly, I'm not as popular as I once thought. Perhaps you should ask that pretty little detective girl about me. Syrena, I mean."

Gabriella froze on the spot. Was this guy a stalker? The one's that her sister had warned her about? "I don't know what you mean," she lied.

"No need to lie to me," the man said with a click of his tongue. "You work for the APD. The Emote case. That was my stock, and you helped get rid of it. You know how crazy people were going for that? I had hit gold! A drug that can make you feel like king of the world! Well... to some people, anyway. But that's what we marketed it as."

"You... you're Julius Roquellet. Aren't you?" Gabriella turned to face the man - now known as Julius. What sort of crime boss walks around like that in the middle of the day? And why did he feel the need to wear so many rings? She was pretty sure that he wasn't married...

Julius nodded, walking closer towards her. "I need you to take that message to your friends. I've warned one of them once, but that wasn't enough... I would do it myself, but... there are few people in my life that I have enough time to see more than once. I intend to see your friends, yes - but only on their last day."

"Sounds like you need a better schedule," Gabriella frowned at him. "Just... leave me alone. Please. They'll start looking from me if I take any longer. I don't want to worry them."

"Fine, fine... as long as you understand that you are not one of those people that will see me again," Julius closed the distance between him and Gabriella. "A shame you had to waste our first and last meeting."

Gabriella shrugged and began to walk away. "I've never been a people type... especially for creeps that flirt with girls far too young for them," she snickered, her walk turning into a full blown sprint. 

When she could no longer see Julius, she pulled out her phone. As predicted, Syrena had sent her a message asking where she was. She decided to keep quiet about what just occurred until she got to Bout Time. It was about time, too - she was getting hungry for her chicken nuggets.


	8. Ivy Take a Bow

Gabriella stumbled into Bout Time and was surprised to see that the bar had a few visitors. It was early in the afternoon, after all. Perhaps the food attracted some people more than the drink. Patricia waved at her from the detective's table, but she was more focused on the man behind the bar. She hadn't seen him the last time she was here.

Patricia jogged up to Gabriella and gestured to the man behind the bar. "Hi, Gab! Glad you could make it!" She greeted, "That's my dad, owner of Bout Time! He was cooking your food last time you were here."

"Thomas Cabot, at your service," he nodded his head towards her. "You look out of breath. Might I suggest a sugary drink? Perhaps a milkshake?"

"Milkshake would be good, I guess," Gabriella mumbled, "Chocolate. With whipped cream and lots of marshmallows. Noah can pay."

"We were wondering where you were," Syrena chuckled as Gabriella sat down. "You met Patricia's dad, huh? He's a sweet guy. Noah saved him from some trouble when we first ran into this place."

"He may look all calm now, but he was crumbling over a minor threat," Noah explained, taking a sip of his drink. "Anyway. I chased off the scammers, and he's been thankful ever since."

"Because we don't have to pay any stupid protection money!" Patricia giggled as she placed Gabriella's milkshake in front of her. "You guys are our protection. Oh, didn't you say you were bringing a cousin or something, Mika?"

Mika nodded excitedly. "Yep! Adrian's just bringing the cakes over. His brother, Jack, is helping him. Also because he can't exactly find any childcare... I hope you guys don't mind bringing a kid in here."

"It's no bother at all," Patricia replied gleefully, "It's not the evening yet, and we're not busy, so I don't see why not. We could hand some of the cakes out for free!"

Moments later, Adrian strolled into Bout Time, a big grin on his face. He was holding a box full of various cupcakes. Jack was trailing behind him, also holding a box. He seemed to be a bit cautious of this new area, preferring to hide behind his brother.

Mika leaped up and greeted his cousins. "Hey, you two! Nice to see you again, Jack. You've grown," he giggled. "This is... Noah, Syrena, Gabriella - my coworkers - and then this is Patricia, our friend. She works here."

"Is it alright if put these down on the bar?" Adrian asked Patricia. "You've got loads of room there, and I wouldn't want to exclude people..."

"Of course!" Patricia grinned as she took a box of cakes from Jack and placed it on the bar. She grabbed a bunch of cupcakes and handed them out to everyone. 

Jack sat next to Mika and took a cupcake for himself. "Um... do you guys come here often?" He asked the group. "It looks nice..."

"Yeah. It's pretty cool, right?" Syrena signalled Patricia to get Jack and Adrian a drink. "Do you like the neon signs? And the arcade machine?"

Jack glanced over to the arcade machine. "Adrian... can I play the game? Oh, can I have some coins?" He asked him.

"No need," Patricia placed a soda down for Jack. "Just input my name and you'll get to pay for free. Hey, uh... don't tell anyone that. Like my dad. He thinks I pay to play that game."

Adrian watched as Jack took a sip of his soda before running off to play the arcade game. The star character was Rapunzel. At least it wasn't one of those gambling machines, he thought. 

"How's work?" Noah asked Adrian. "I hope Gloria is treating you well. If not, I could always talk to her about a pay rise..."

Gabriella perked up. "Gloria? You mean... Gloria Hawthorne?" 

"The very same," nodded Adrian. "I don't do anything illegal, before you ask... I just bake cakes for her. It pays better than any other job in that field. You know - more than minimum wage. I would love to start up my own business, but I simply don't have the money..."

"Mm, you should! These cakes are delicious!" Patricia mumbled in between stuffing her face with the cupcakes. "Dad's gonna tell me off for eating so much... but I have such a sweet tooth!"

"So we don't have to tell you about our latest case then, Patricia?" Syrena looked up at the waitress. "I thought you were looking forward to it."

"Mm! No! Tell meeee!" Patricia begged, kneeling down next to their table. "It was a drug case, right? No fancy murders this time?"

"It was about Emote - a new drug on the streets. We were told to find where it came from and where it was being held," Noah explained, "Syrena managed to track it down to Julius Roquellet. He, in turn, got it from a failed drug being tested from Umeni Enterprises."

"But then the Chief told us that the job was done," Mika sagged. "I hate being put off a case after doing so little. The same happened before... it feels like we haven't quite completed our jobs."

"Well, we've done what we were asked to. It's up to the Chief to decide who does what - and we're not exactly lawyers, Mika," Noah told him, "You've been watching too many TV shows..."

"Still, with all this LINK stuff, you'd think they'd make you do something cooler," Patricia rolled her eyes. "I've seen the SUV. They must've spent loads on something like that. But you guys haven't had a use for it yet."

"It saves driving around in a marked police car," Syrena commented, "I like it. It has a better heating system. The seats even warm up!"

"It all sounds rather exciting," Adrian smiled at them, glancing at Jack. "I can't imagine the paperwork you'll have to fill out, though."

"That's always the worst part!" Mika complained. "Still, we have to fill it out... after this, I suppose we'll have to go back to paperwork..."

The group burst into laughter - even Gabriella let out a small chuckle. Their happiness was interrupted as a shot rang out from the street outside. 

Noah jumped out of his seat. "What was that?!" He cried, bolting towards the door. "Mika, Syrena, follow me! Everyone else, stay inside!"

Mika and Syrena followed Noah outside onto the street. They were greeted with the sight of a woman bleeding out on the side of the pavement. Noah was already checking her vitals when they ran over.

"She's dead," Noah scowled, "Shot in the head from above. Mika, let the Chief know. I couldn't see anyone on the rooftops... they must've escaped. Dammit!"

"R-Right outside... I can't believe this," Syrena muttered, "Looks like all that paperwork will have to wait, I guess... Mika, what did the Chief say?"

Mika put down his phone and jogged over to them. "They're sending some people over to border it off. Terra is on their way to investigate the body. They said to go home for the day and await the results in the morning..."

"We can't just leave her here!" Syrena cried, "No, I can't go home after this! I can't wait until morning... someone was shot right here, moments from us!"

"You won't be any help if you don't recharge your batteries. Both of you," Mika sternly told the other two, "Go home. Let the others handle the initial investigation for a while. Don't make me call your parents down here!"

Noah flinched at the suggestion. "I don't think that's necessary... look, we'll go home. I'll make sure Gabriella gets home, Mika, you can take Adrian and Jack. It's only a short walk to the station."

There was a silent agreement between them. The three of them would meet up in the morning to see what the initial investigation had discovered. A good night’s sleep was all they needed.

——

Gloria slammed her hand down as an android served her a drink. “What do you mean, you lost it?!” She screamed, the android stepping back in fright.

Ivy bowed her head. “My apologies. She is faster than a regular human. It’s almost as if she can spy my presence from afar,” she explained. Her voice was distorted due to their mask, but it was faintly feminine.

“It’s not a ‘she’. It’s an it,” Gloria stressed, taking a sip of her drink. “I paid good money for that, and I don’t need it spilling my secrets to any old person in the street. What if the APD catches wind of this?”

“I know... rest assured, I’ve been tracking h... um, it’s movements,” Ivy pulled out her phone and hovered over Corvega. “It’s escaped Miagami, as we predicted. It appears to be slowly escaping the city... once it reaches the countryside, I’ll have a harder time tracking it, especially if they hitchhike.”

“I should report this to Umeni,” Gloria grumbled, “I know they said there would be malfunctions, but they said that the things would be willing to go in for an update! Not run off! Haven’t I donated enough of my money to them?”

“They are fairly complicated... we should expect a few mishaps,” Ivy chuckled softly. “I did warn you... the cost of replacing all of your human staff would be more than keeping them.”

“Humans can talk. Machines aren’t supposed to,” Gloria sat back in her chair. “Besides, they’re much better at taking orders, and they don’t need to be paid. They can work as long as I want. This will be much better in the long run - just you wait.”

Ivy rubbed her eyes. “If it’s alright with you, I’ll head home. I think I’ve had enough for one day... I need to practice my shooting, too.”

“Yes... perhaps you won’t miss next time,” agreed Gloria, “I’ll even give you a holiday if you deal with this problem within the next day or so. Isn’t that what you want? To spend time with your family?”

“We... do miss each other, yes,” Ivy admitted, “She works the day shift, whereas I’m usually needed in the night... at least I can sleep through the night today, rather than staying up through it.”

“Some of us are too busy for those sorts of things, dear. Some of us have business to do,” Gloria said, gesturing to the bar behind her. “I’m supposed to be making a deal with Julius Roquellet regarding his... loss of stock. He seems to want to get into the club market. Wants to name it the Roquellet Lounge or something. Seems a bit on the nose, to me. What happened to all the good names, like Wonder Bay and The Quagmire? Doesn’t the man have taste?”

“H-He does have a... an odd way of naming things, yes,” Ivy agreed with a chuckle. “I heard that he’s going to display something in the middle in ice, and have a pool with dolphins in it! I-I... not that I’d visit it, of course.”

“Hmm... if you’re that curious about it, you can come with me for the grand opening. In a show of good faith,” she smirked. “Yes, good faith... I do hope nothing goes wrong in that club of his. And I do hope they don’t skip on the champagne.”

“It won’t have the warm feel of this place, that’s for sure! I mean... doesn’t it sound a bit cold?” Ivy tilted her head. “I wouldn’t stay there very long, even if there’s dolphins. It sounds more like a show of his wealth than a place to drink.”

“Exactly. That’s what he wants to do. It’s his reason for opening the club in the first place - to show off his wealth,” Gloria explained, “Why do you think he’s going for dolphins? To show that he can. Haven’t you seen the amount of rings he wears? I... anyway. You really should run off home, sweetie. Take care.”

Ivy bowed once again and turned her heel. She shared an awkward glance towards the android from before. It was going to take her a while to get used to this.


	9. Number Twelve Looks Just Like You

Noah stumbled onto the crime scene the next morning, breakfast in hand. His stepdad had caught him on the way out and insisted that he take some food with him. He ate his breakfast as he waited for Syrena and Mika to arrive on the scene.

Mika and Syrena weren't as awake as he was. They had stopped off at a coffee shop before arriving. Coffee was the best thing they could have, next to a good night's sleep. 

"Terra's in the tent waiting for us," Noah explained as he shoved the last remaining piece of food into his mouth. "They're in need of sleep, so I warn you... they may be a little sarcastic."

"More sarcastic than they usually are?" Chuckled Syrena, heading into the tent in front of them. "Terra, what have you found?"

The body was gone. Terra was looking at their computer and perked up when the three detectives entered. 

"Oh. I can go home soon, then," Terra rolled their eyes. "The shot was fired from above from some sort of sniper rifle. The lab is analysing the bullet now. I don't know about you, but it was one hell of a shot. You know, to get a clean headshot out of a moving target."

"It must've been from a nearby roof," Noah deduced, "I'm right, aren't I? There wasn't anybody in the street. It must've been someone on the rooftops."

"From the angle, yes," Terra agreed, "It came from high up. We've found no evidence on the rooftops... when we worked out where it came from, that is."

"You... you think it was professional?" Syrena asked with wide eyes. "What about the victim? Was there anything that could've led them to becoming a target? Unkept blue hair, maybe?"

"The victim was called... Anita Jones," Terra informed them, "She's a PR assistant at Umeni Enterprises. Why would someone want to kill a PR assistant? There's nothing out of the ordinary about her... no connections to any troublemaking groups..."

"I'll talk to... my source about this," Noah's eyes shifted to the exit. "She might know something. I'm going alone... Syrena, Mika, follow up on the victim. Get Gabriella on it. I'm sure she'll find something..."

Mika grabbed Noah's arm and stopped him from leaving. "Wait! I want... I want to go with you," he said, "Let me-"

"I'll handle this by myself, Mika," Noah insisted, "Besides... it's better if I go on my own. If you don't hear from me within the next two hours, you can start worrying."

He stormed out, leaving Syrena and Mika dumbfounded. It wasn't just because they had been left with the boring job, either. Noah wasn't normally like this when it came to investigations. 

"Let's go, Mika," Syrena hissed at him, "I'm sure Gab can find most of what we need. The Chief might've already sent officers to do most of the talking for us. Come on... it'll be alright."

Mika huffed and left the tent, only to be met with rain. "Great. Just another thing we need," he complained.

——

Noah ignored the complaints that Gloria was busy and headed straight to her favourite spot. He didn't have time to play her games. 

"What do I owe the pleasure, detective?" Gloria asked him, leaning back in her chair. "You seem... annoyed. Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"I need to talk to you about a possible hit," Noah sat down opposite her. "It's a case I'm working on... it happened very close to me. On the street outside, in fact. I think either you, Julius, or someone else ordered it."

"Hits can happen more than once a day, you know," Gloria rolled her eyes. "Who are we talking about? I don't exactly know everyone..."

"Anita Jones. She worked for Umeni Enterprises," Noah told her, "You know, the same ones that supplied your malfunctioning androids? You sure you wouldn't want to do something to retaliate?"

"Why would I spend more money just to get back at them?" She frowned, glancing at one of her androids. "I was aware that they're still in prototype form. Of course there's going to be malfunctions. I'll receive compensation should anything horrible happen."

"I'd still like to check up on those androids, if you don't mind. And the documents Umeni gave you when you purchased them. Besides... I've never really seen them in real life before. I admit, I'm a little curious myself," he said.

Gloria stared at him for a few moments. "If it was anyone else, I'd tell them to go away. But I have a soft spot for you. I'll line them up and get someone to retrieve the original documents. I have them somewhere... although, it is a lot of boring legal stuff. You may want to take a copy home with you instead."

"It's either this, or paperwork," he complained, "I trust that the others are doing follow-up on the victim... now, where are the androids?"

Gloria gestured to a line of androids standing behind him. They must've overheard Noah's intent and lined up for him. They were almost indistinguishable from humans - the one thing that made them different was a mechanical ring in their eyes that glowed blue. 

"I've given them names, but they're all a part of the H-Class model. H for household," Gloria explained, holding some sort of pamphlet. "They do all the things a waiter can do, only needing four hours of rest to recharge. They respond to my commands, and don't give into torture. No need to worry about staff spilling any of my secrets."

One of the androids placed a folder full of hefty documents onto the table next to Noah. "You can't take these home, as they're the originals. We can't copy all of it, either. It's sensitive information," they explained.

Noah flicked through the book and glanced up. Gloria had eight androids standing in front of him. Yet, the order was for nine androids. It said it plain and clear - nine units. Where was the ninth?

"Do you have one recharging right now?" He asked her, "It says here you should have nine. Where's the ninth one?"

"Oh... it was faulty. I had it returned." Gloria shrugged off the question. "Are you done here? I wanted to visit Mr. Roquellet's new place."

"If it was returned, there would be a note of it in here," Noah tapped the folder in front of him. "You're hiding something... you didn't report it to Umeni Enterprises. You want this kept secret. Look, if you don't want to tell them, tell me. I can help you. What's the point in being, uh... 'friends' with me if I don't help you out?"

She scoffed. "Why would you want to help me? They'll throw you out if they find out about this."

"You obviously don't want Umeni getting their hands on it since it has some of your secrets. I don't exactly want an escaped android running about on the streets, either. They'll be confused... probably. I'm not entirely sure about how they work yet."

Gloria stared at him. "I already have someone looking into it."

"So you're planning to get it killed? Assassinated?" Noah slammed his fist down onto the table. "You've sent a mercenary after them, haven't you? That's how you're taking care of things. I won't stand for it, Gloria. An innocent person was killed!"

"You have no evidence that was me," Gloria denied, "If you're going to to accuse me of doing such a thing, I won't even give you the chance to 'help' and catch them."

Eventually, Noah backed off. He focused back onto the folder in front of him. "I... alright, fine. Tell me about this android. What do they look like?"

Gloria held out a picture and pointed to a black haired android. "This one. Responds to HP294. They had long, black hair... I say had, since they might've cut it. You can tell they're an android due to the mechanical feature in their eyes - blue eyes. They may be hiding them with sunglasses, though."

The victim had black hair, too, Noah thought. Then again, lots of people have blue hair. It was a popular dye. Even Mika had dyed his hair pink. 

"I'll see who finds them first. You, or my... other friend," She chuckled. "Good luck - it'll be like finding a needle in a haystack."

——

Gabriella droned out the sound of Mika and Syrena with her typing. She had pulled up all of the information that was relevant, and they still said that it wasn't enough.

“Noah should be back soon, at least. He said he’s got a lead,” Mika chirped, “It’s better than staring at a computer screen...”

“Yeah, we can’t exactly search up a suspect when we don’t even have one person of interest,” Syrena complained, “The others are looking into friends and family. Maybe one of them hired a-”

Noah burst into the room, holding a bunch of papers. “It’s an android! They’re after an escaped android!” He cried.

Gabriella blinked at him. “I thought they weren’t out of the testing phase yet.”

“You... you know about Umeni Enterprise’s androids?” Noah asked her, “I barely know of it myself-”

“That’s because you’re an old man,” Gabriella rolled her eyes. “Look - it’s all over their front page. Household types and everything. I even heard of a forensics unit to assist police. What’s this about an escaped android?”

“My... my source admitted to that being the cause of the shooting,” Noah explained, “The android and the victim both have black hair and blue eyes. I assume, from a distance, that it may cause confusion to a sniper.”

“The only feature separating them from humans that you can normally see is a mechanical ring in their eyes,” Gabriella gestured to an image on her computer. “Umeni must have some sort of idea where all of their androids are, though. And how would it be staying charged?”

“We should get an expert from Umeni Enterprises,” Syrena declared, “Gabriella, can you get their number up? I’ll contact them.”

“Um... sure. But I can learn just as an expert!” She said with a cheeky grin. “I already know more than the old man!”

“Aw, thanks, but we’ll be okay.” Syrena patted the girl’s head. “Hopefully they’ll take us seriously...”

As Syrena dialled Umeni Enterprises, Mika turned his attention to Noah. He looked at the bundle of papers Noah was holding with curiosity.

“Is that... your evidence?” He asked him, “What are those papers about? Androids?”

“Uh... yeah, yeah,” Noah nodded his head. “Just information about the one we’re looking for. I’ve been told the android may have cut their hair, which will only further confuse things...”

“It still confuses me about the charging bit, though,” Gabriella wondered out loud, “They would need to have charged up by now, surely. The batteries are still in a prototype form - even the most powerful ones only last up to twenty-four hours.”

“Perhaps they can shut themselves off and conserve their energy,” Noah suggested, “It would need to rest, right?”

Syrena came back with a grin on her face. “Oh, you’re gonna like this, Gab! They’re sending us a unit! A free unit! I mean, it’s a prototype, but they said they’d be waiting for a chance to use it! Isn’t that great?”

“Wait, slow down,” Noah chuckled nervously. “What do you mean, a unit? An android?”

“Yep! I think it was one of the forensic police ones that Gab was talking about,” Syrena chirped, “They’ll know anything and everything about androids, and they’ll even be able to analyse evidence on the spot! It sounds so cool”

Gabriella’s mouth dropped open. “No. Way! I wanna see it! You have to let me see it, as a valued member of your team! I have to analyse it and see how it-“

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves... we’ll need it for the investigation,” Mika warned her, “I’m sure you can talk to them all you want afterwards. Okay?”

“Mmph... okay...” Gabriella slumped her shoulders. At least something exciting was happening for once.


End file.
